High unemployment and desperate economic conditions are driving South Africans to accept deadly mercenary contracts in the Russia-Ukraine war, a leading security analyst has warned.
Willem Els, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), was reacting to Monday’s court appearance of five South African men arrested for allegedly contravening the Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act. The suspects were detained while reportedly en route to join Russian forces fighting in Ukraine.
Els said recruiters are exploiting joblessness by dangling astronomical salaries — with some victims promised up to $40 000 (roughly R720 000) per month.
“The socio-economic issues we are facing make these types of contracts very lucrative,” Els told journalists. “People are desperate for income, and that desperation leaves them vulnerable to accepting extremely risky job offers.”
He stressed, however, that the promised windfalls are almost certainly fictitious.
“In reality, their chances of ever receiving that money are slim — but we also know that their survival rate where they are going is not very high. They may not come back alive,” he said.
At least seventeen other South Africans remain trapped inside Ukraine after being deceived with similar false promises and coerced into fighting for Russian troops or private military companies.
Els called on government to launch an urgent national awareness campaign to expose the recruitment scams and highlight both the extreme danger and the criminal consequences under South African law.
“What we need from the government side is a proper awareness campaign that informs the public about the dangers and the criminality of these acts,” he said.
The five accused are expected back in court next week. If convicted of contravening the Foreign Military Assistance Act, they face lengthy prison terms.
